Ball Play for Another Day

It is a classic thing to see a person heading to the park with their dog, ball throwing stick in hand. 

The dogs playing the game are absolutely amped, sometimes leaping up before the ball is thrown - or focused intently, waiting for the release. You watch the dogs sprint as fast as they can, and it’s really impressive to see the speed and the distance they can cover. 

It’s not many repetitions before the dogs are panting, tongues hanging out, and if the game goes for a longer time, the dogs flop down, absolutely exhausted.

This is a good outcome for a lot of humans, because when they head home, their pooch will sleep and be content with hanging around. 

Exercising your dog is absolutely something that needs to happen - it’s a basic need - and the dogs obviously are having a whole heap of fun. Some dogs beg to keep the game going until they cannot go any longer. 

But there are some really important things to consider when we play long games of ball. Some things you may not have even thought about. 

HIDDEN LONG TERM EFFECTS

When a dog catches up to a thrown ball, there is a very sharp stopping motion, and turning to come back with the ball can be very sudden and tight. This puts a lot of stress on bones and joints, which over a long time accumulates - especially as the dogs get older and less able to make those twists and turns. Daily stress on joints and ligaments can build up, and may end up becoming something more painful as your dog gets older.

These effects may be even more serious if young dogs get excessive ball play while they are still developing, because joints are not always fully formed by the time your dog looks like an adult, such as in adolescence when they are still getting to their peak physicality. 

ACUTE INJURY

Dogs don’t let us know about sudden pain often either, especially if they are running on the high of the adrenaline game. I’ve seen a border collie with a tooth knocked out - blood dripping due to the incident - still asking for their frisbee to be thrown for the next chance to chase it down.

Additionally, just like people, it is important to think about a warm up and warm down period for your dog to avoid injury. A professional athlete doesn’t go out and sprint their personal best with training beforehand, warming up before the event, or the appropriate recovery afterward. 

Many dogs hide discomfort overall, and a lot of cases we see that involve anxiety or reactivity to things can stem from undiagnosed injuries, which can be prevented with the right adjustments.

CONSTANT AROUSAL

Dogs who are really switched on all the time (I like to use the term fizzy), definitely crash after a big game of ball at the park, but that high energy, intense game actually can keep them in a 'ready for action' state. They get a spike of all those intense hormones, like they’re on the hunt for prey, and it can actually take up to 72 hours for those hormones to leave their system. 

A 30 minute nap is just going to have them wake up and be ready for even more, because they haven’t had the chance to come back to a proper, relaxed baseline. Throwing the ball a long distance is a convenient way to wear your dog out- but running and chasing is a very automatic behaviour. You wear them out, physically, but what about their minds? 

There are great alternatives to actually throwing the ball that still makes your dog feel fulfilled and get their ball-fix. If you hold your dog and throw the ball, and then release them once the ball has actually landed and stopped moving, it gives your dog the chance to appropriately slow down as they come across the ball - rather than slamming on the brakes over and over. 

Another way is finding places to hide the ball, in a tree or long grass - and encouraging them to search for the ball. Sniffing and searching is a great way to engage them, and you can do a couple small throws as a higher energy reward after they’ve succeeded, but it’s not as intense!

The above changes when you play ball really has their minds working harder. Getting your dog to use their brain to search, and think about the game more, will truly exhaust them a lot more than just zooming back and forth. 

We’re not here to tell you to stop letting your dog have a highlight in their day. It truly is a joyous thing to watch a human and their dog engage in play together out in the park. But it may be time to consider other ways of bringing that enjoyment, and think of some different approaches which are also beneficial and sustainable for your pup.
This is your sign to try something new, and you may find it's an even more fun game to play!

Authored by Sarah Endres
Dog Trainer and Behaviour Advisor

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